Label: Frontiers Music s.r.l.
Release date: November 8, 2019
Production: Work Of Art
Album length: 46.33 min
Genre: AOR
Rating: 8.0 / 10
Work Of Art are among the most distinguished representatives of the Swedish school of AOR revivalism. Their debut came out in 2008, and five years after the third album “Frameworks” (2014), we now have a fourth studio effort, “Exhibits”. The main men behind the project are still guitarist Robert Säll (also of W.E.T.) and vocalist Lars Säfsund. Up to now they only ever had drummer Herman Furin in the crew, and he’s with them again this time, but now a whole gang of “helpers” pitches in at the studio, especially when it comes to bass duties, extra keyboards and percussion.
Swedish perfectionism knows no limits. These are incredibly committed, dedicated, hardworking and conscientious musicians, whatever they take on. I’m talking about genres in general. True, we waited a long time for the new album and the project is slowly being caught up by fellow countrymen like Houston, but the relatively long wait for a new studio record was worth it. Work Of Art don’t let you down idea-wise, and their “formula”, or recipe, of subtle treading through the musical legacy of the giants of eighties (and seventies) AOR craft is cultivated on the new album once again with great success and conviction. “Exhibits” is thus a new bombastic chapter in the AOR revivalism of the Work Of Art recipe.
In the music you again feel the influence of the west coast AOR principle, where you can tell, that the two musicians (Säll and Säfsund) recently also appeared on the new album of AOR legend Jim Peterik (Winds Of Change) – in the sense that they keep drawing inspiration from the songwriting principles of that brilliant American musician, the former lead songwriting pen of the great Survivor.
There was a lot of programming, and the drums are often simply “clicked in”. The production is exceptionally polished. Almost overly so. Crystal clear. In production manner Work Of Art are a very soft version of (generally speaking) rock music, where the keyboards, rustling with the synthesizing of the eighties’ avalanche-like waves of sound, are perfectly balanced with the guitar phrasing, and in places even take precedence over the guitar on the album, as Work Of Art do when laying down the synthesized lines in This Isn’t Love (interestingly, Vince DiCola guests on a keyboard solo in it, otherwise the author of the Rocky IV piece “Training Montage”) or in the transitions and chorus of Scars To Prove It (a “cracked-open” chunk of the main phrase from the Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive is worked into the line). That’s why the pop elements are more heavily emphasized. Elements of eighties pop-songwriting aesthetics, which go hand in hand with the AOR glow, or are often almost its obligation.
The album is bubbling with optimism, with an exceptionally bombastic connotation and a buildup of pomp that hits a mood crescendo in grabby chorus melodies. You do miss the darker moments on the album, since it gravitates towards sameness in songwriting (most of the compositions, especially in the choruses, sit on a major-key progression). Dark moments would therefore be welcome, like in the excellent Coming Home, where the guitars are a touch sharper in their phrasing for a change, and in the closing Let Me Dream, inspired by the spirit and work of Foreigner. The mid-eight passages serve up a welcome dose of modulation, with either a guitar solo sneaking in or a combination of short, thoughtfully placed soloing between guitar and keyboards, and Work Of Art certainly make smart use of these parts of the songs for swings in mood, which boosts the theatrical pomp effect and keeps the record’s dynamic flow high, though as said, thanks to the heap of “happy” chorus lines the songs gently drag the album toward uniformity.
This time Work Of Art have dived into AOR revivalism harder than ever before. No Work Of Art album has ever sounded as hungrily revivalist and AOR-ish as “Exhibits”. Despite the perfect sound-production and songwriting aesthetic it achieves, it could do with a touch more variety of ideas, and some organic liveliness too. Then again, from the standpoint of nailing the eighties sound, it’s actually a brilliant album of perfect “imitation”, the kind you don’t get anymore, because there simply aren’t many bands like Work Of Art. That’s why reheating old soup still works so well.
Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. Misguided Love
2. Be The Believer
3. Another Night
4. This Isn’t Love
5. Gotta Get Out
6. Come Home
7. If I Could Fly
8. Destined To Survive
9. Scars To Prove It
10. What You Want From Me
11. Let Me Dream
Line-up:
Lars Säfsund – vocals, keyboards, programming
Robert Säll – guitar, keyboards, programming
Herman Furin – drums
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Jonas Gröning – keyboards (2, 7 & 10)
Jonas Öijvall – keyboards (5, 6, 8 & 9)
Marcus Möller – keyboards (4)
Robert Elovsson – keyboards (solo, 6)
Vince DiCola – keyboards (solo, 4)
Jonas Gröning – keyboards (solo, 10)
Shem von Schroeck – bass (2 & 4)
Andreas Passmark – bass ( 3, 6, 7, 8 & 10)
Nalle Påhlsson – bass (5 & 9)
Henrik Linder – bass (1)
Figge Boström – bass (11)
Mikael Emsing – percussion (1 – 4 & 6 – 11)
